Learning Vocabulary

This page contains a variety of suggestions for how to learn vocabulary. Perhaps some of these will work for you.

Onomatopoeia

• wakwak "crow"
• djikirridj-djikirridj "willy wagtail"

Almost omomatopoeia:

• djarrang "horse": the sound of galloping

Associations

These are associations between Kunwok words and English expressions... the more ridiculous, the more memorable!

• bobo means "goodbye": it sounds like "bye bye"
• kaluk nan means "see you later": think of saying goodbye to someone, and waving a garlic naan
• manmorlak means "Kakadu plum": think of holding a Kakadu plum for "more luck"
• birrhme is "to sweep": think of the sound made by a straw broom as "birrh"
• durndeng is "to return": the first thing you do when returning is turn, which is close to "durn"
• kunyarl is "string": think of "yarn"
• nin is "finch": a small word for a small bird, and both the English and Kunwinjku contain "in"

You can even do this for parts of words, e.g.:

• man- is the vegetable prefix: think of a man who likes his vegetables (or who behaves like one)
• yi- is the second person marker, you: think of old English "ye"

Move your body

Learn words while moving your body at the same time. You could as a speaker to give commands and you do the action. This is also known as total physical response.

• yidolkka! stand!
• yiyerrka! sit!
• yibirrhmen! sweep!
• yiborledmen! turn around!
• yilobmen! run!
• yiborrkkemen! dance!

Paraphrases

Longer Kunwok words may jonsist of several parts, like a noun and a verb, e.g. English: haircut, weekend, daydream, fingerprint. Look at the following... see how predictable the meaning is:

• kebkan: kunkeb "nose" + kan "to get" = sniff out (as in hunting with dogs)
• karekarrme: kare "old" + karrme "have" = save for later
• kodjdjobme: kunkodj "head" + djobme "cut off" = sulky, uncommunicative
• kangerayekwon: kunkange "heart, emotion" + rayekwon "make strong" = hearten, encourage
• bidbarrhbarrhmarren: bid "hand" + barrhbarrhma "repeatedly close" + -rren "themselves"

Sentences

Memorising whole sentences is a great way to learn vocabulary, as well as the pronominal prefixes. You can then construct new sentences by substituting words.

• duruk nganbayeng "the dog bit me" (ngan- "it-me")
• duruk ngadukkang "I tied up the dog" (nga- "I-it")
• yuwn yikilekme mako "don't touch the gun" (yi- "you-it")
• yuwn kandjekmiwon "don't laugh at me" (kan- "you-me")

Templates

• X karohrok yiman Y = "X is similar to Y"
• yuwn yi-X wardi yarrke yi-Y = "don't X else Y might happen", e.g. yuwn yibidbun wardi yarrke yimankayinj "don't climb it else you might fall down"